Arpan Khanna
Arpan Khanna is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served Oxford in the House of Commons of Canada since winning a [2023 Oxford (federal electoral district)|Oxford federal by-election|by-election on June 19, 2023]. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada, Khanna has been noted as one of the party’s rising figures, named by The National Post in 2023 as one of "12 to watch," and in 2024, he was named one of the Top 25 most influential Conservatives in federal politics by the Hill Times.
Background
Khanna was born in Brampton, Ontario to parents who had immigrated from Punjab, India. He completed his Bachelor's degree at Western University before completing his law degree at the University of Leicester. He then practiced law and also co-founded a small business.Career
Khanna began his political career working on Parliament Hill during the Harper government, serving as a ministerial staffer for Jason Kenney. He later worked with Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak, focusing on outreach and community engagement.In 2022, he was appointed Ontario's co-chair for Pierre Poilievre's successful leadership campaign. Following Poilievre's win, Khanna was named to the Conservative Leadership Team as National Outreach Chair, a position that involves strengthening the party's ties with communities across the country.
Since entering Parliament, Khanna has been active in Parliament, working with MP Tim Uppal on outreach and speaking on issues ranging from affordability and public safety to agriculture and rural development. Khanna announced that he would introduce a private member's bill focused on bail reform in September 2025.
2019 federal election
Khanna ran as the Conservative candidate in Brampton North, challenging Liberal incumbent Ruby Sahota. During the campaign, it emerged that Khanna had written a homophobic tweet as a teenager. Khanna apologized for the remark, saying it did not reflect his values.2023 Oxford by-election
When longtime Oxford MP Dave MacKenzie announced his retirement, Khanna entered the Conservative nomination race. It was a competitive contest that included several local candidates, among them Mackenzie's daughter Deb Tait.On the campaign trail, Khanna focused on issues such as affordability. He received strong support from Conservative MPs across Canada, and on June 19, 2023, he was elected, defeating Liberal candidate David Hilderley.